Device for and method of attaching heels to shoes



Nov. l2, 1940. y w, R HQWARD i i2,220,957

DEVICE FOR AND METHOD OF ATTACHING HEELS TO SHOES Filed July 27, 1959 nNvEN-ron y Patented Nev. 12, 1940r g PATENT Y oFFlcE 2.220.951 Y DEVICE FOB AND METHOD F ATTACHING l HEELS T0 SHOES Winthrop E. Howard, Manhasset, N. Y', assigner` to The Rawlplng Company, Inc., New York,

milenios July 2v, 193s, ser-iai No. 286,714

7Claims.

The invention relates primarily to means for attaching wooden heels to shoes.

The present method oi.' attaching wooden heels to shoes during the process oi manufacture is to apply cement to the heel or to the sole, where the heel joins the shoe. and to then fasten the heel in position by inserting a temporary screw-threaded device several inches in length through a hole in the last and through the sole ofthe shoe and into 30 they heel. After the cement has set. this long temporary screw device must be removed before nailing'the heel to the shoe. In some vcases an ordinary wood screw is inserted after the long screw attachment device has been removed in M order to hold the heel tightly in place while it is being nailed, but this method of procedure doesl2li aware necessitate the drilling of a hole into the heel with a long drill going through a hole provided in the last in order to insert the temporary heel-screfw device. 'I'hese present methods also necessitate a separate operation for the removal 80 of this screw attachment device, and most of the present methods of assembly necessitate a separate operation for smoothing the screwhole in the inner sole after the attachment has been 'refmoved. This last operation is eliminated only 86 where a regular wood screw is inserted into the hole previously driiledand from which the screw attachment device has been removed.` The use of these screws necessitates not only a separate operation, but also the cost of the screw.

m 'I'he principal object of my invention is to provide means 'for attaching a wooden heelto a shoe which greatly simplies the process and consequently reduces the cost of assembly, and also results in a very tight fastening, the attachment means also serving to prevent turning of the heel on the shoe during the continuous handling of the shoe through its various operations.

I attain this main object oi* my invention. as well as other ancillary objects, by utilizing a spe- 80 cially constructed socket fastener. the construction and advantages of which will be discerned from a reading of the followingv specification, taken in connection with the annexed drawings, wherein: t

l! Figure 1 shows the socket or fastener. together with` s tool for inserting the fastener inte the l neel.

Figure 2 is an end view of Figure l, looking from right to left.

Figure 3 is a modified form of socket. l 5

Figure 4 is an end view` of Figure 3, looking from right to left.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 show further modiied forms of sockets..

Figure 8 shows, somewhat dagrammatically, 10 means for applying the socketor vfastener to the sgoe and heel to fasten the latter in place on the s oe.

FigureQlsafragmenmyviewofpartoi'mgure 8 showing the socket or i cr.: position in the heel,

Figure 10 is a htsrv-view one means for handling the mohtiurmg the procesa of applying it to the heel.` t

Figure ,11 shows a modiiied form of handling the socket during the process of fastening the heel to the shoe.

In. the various views, I is a socket or i :f formed from suitable metal such as sheet steel, preferably of a kind which will take a temper. as The socket i is formed at one end with a flange 2, the purpose of which will he herein pointed out. The end of the socket opposite the ilange 2 is made or provided with n reltively sharp cutting edge 3. The entire socket is split at I In longitudinally of its length. The socket, after being formed, maybe treated with s. material to increase its holding power in wood, one sash material comprising a solution of ierric chloride in water in the presence of mercuric chloride, or as salts of other metals. No claim is made by me to this treatment material.

The socket I` is adapted to be forced into a shoe heel through the medium of a suitable plunger or assembly tool l having a guide pilot 8v which is 40 [f` adapted to dt within the inner cylindrical portion of the socket l to guide and support the fastener while the shoulder 'l of the plunger l engages the flange 2 to `i'orce the fastener or socket into the heel of the shoe. The method of application may take various forms, but by way of illustration and not of limitation, I have shown in Figure 8 a shoe 8 having a last 9 inserted there in and held .in any desired position by a suitable fixture. parts of which are indicated by the members I il and Ii,`the latter being a plunger tting into a metallic bushed hole in the last l. The wooden heel i2 is held in its place onthe shoe by any suitable iixture i8. The last l is provided with a hole to receive the plunger 6 of 55 mms te snai xs.;

the assembly tool, this hole being at an angle to approximate the central axis of the heel. The plunger has an internal spring Il against which one end of the pilot 8 rests. The outer end of the plunger I is shown with an enlargement I5 carrying a spring i4, the portion i5 being supported 'lnamember I6.

The member I5 and the plunger 5 may be operated by any satisfactory source of power, such as by compressed air or hydraulic means that will move the plunger 5 inwardly and cause the shoulder thereof to engage the flange 2 of the socket I, forcing it through the inner sole'i1 and the outer sole I8 of the shoe, into the heel i2 until the flange 2 has been embedded in the inner sole I1. During the process of inserting the fastener I into the heel, when the pilot l engages the inner sole I1, the spring I4 is compressed a1- lowing the plunger 5 to move over the pilot 6 as the fastener is forced into the heel.

This assembly action may be made automatic by providing on theV member I5 an arm I8 which is adapted to engage the end of a spring member 2li which carries a contact in cooperation 'with the contact carried on a spring member 2 I; These contacts 22 may control the operation of a magnet which in turn controls the limit of the stroke of the plunger 5, so that when the socket I has been moved to its final pre-determined position, the contacts 22 are opened as shown in Figure 9 and the power stroke is automatically stopped.

In Figure I have indicated diagrammatically how the sockets I may be automatically passed to a fixture 23 in proper timed relation with the action of the plunger 5. In this arrangement a tubular member 24 feeds the sockets I downwardly to a rotatable member 25 carrying holding mea-ns 26 for engaging the flange 2 of the fastener. At the proper time, the rotatable member 25 is turned to an angle of ninety degrees, bringing the fastener I into the position shown by the dotted lines in Figure 10, and in alignment with the hole in the last 9, the diameter of which is sufficient to receive the flange 2 of the socket I. The 'feeding of the sockets through the tube I is controlled by an arm 21 operated by a suitable mechanism to feed the sockets downwardly at the proper time.

In Figure 1l the sockets are moved through a chute 28 in a horizontal position into alignment with a hole in the last 9. Associated with the plunger 5 is a magnet 29 which has a core end 30 preferably of non-magnetic material arranged in proper relation to the end of a magnetic core 3i for attracting and aligning the sockets I into position with the plunger 5, a further operative position of the device being indicated in dotted line below the parts indicated in full line.

The arrangements shown in Figures 8 to 11 inciusive are to be taken only as illustrative of how the sockets or fasteners may be automatically applied to a shoe and heel.

In Figures 3 and 4 the socket is not split, although I prefer the split form as the wood which is positioned within the slot 4 prevents the socket from turning.- In Figures 3 and 4, ribs 32 may be provided on the outer surface of the socket to prevent its turning in the heel.

In Figure 5 the socket may be made without the split 4 and the outer surface provided with serrations 33, and the flange with indentations 24 which both act to hold the fastener in position in the heel.

In Figure 6 the split portion 4 may be provided with corrugations 35, while in Figure 7 the material from which the socket is made may be formed with one edge 36 of the cutting edge turned inwardly on a shorter diameter than the opposite edge 31, giving a spiral appearance to the fastener.

From what has been said it will be seen that the construction of the fastener per se may be varied to some extent, as wellas the method of application, but in any event, it will be observed that several of the present-day steps of assembly are eliminated by the means herein disclosed. In fact, in some cases it is possible to eliminate the special operation required to put the cement or glue on the heel before it is fitted tothe outer sole. Because of the type of fastener` or socket v which I use, the heel is securely drawn to the outer sole of the shoe and cannot turn on the fastener, and therefore there is no danger of its being distorted from its proper position while the shoe is being handled prior to and during the nailing operation.

What I claim is:

1. The method of attaching a heel to the sole of a shoe which consists in providing a hollow socket of suitable metal, the socket'having a flange at one end and a cutting edge at its other end and being split longitudinally of its length, placing a last in the shoe and positioning the shoe, last and a heel in assembly relation in a fixture, the last having a hole in substantial alignment with the major axis of the heel, placing the socket in said last hole with the cutting edge toward the heel, and then engaging the flange of the socket with a power-applying device and forcing the socket into the heel to a predetermined position.

2. The method of attaching a heel to a shoe,

as set forth in claim 1, further characterized by the further step of cutting off the power automatically from said power-applying device when the socket has been fully inserted into the heel to said predetermined position.

3. The methodof attaching a heel to the sole of a shoe which consists in providing a hollow socket of suitable metal, the socket having a flange at one end and a cutting edge at the other end and being split longitudinally of its length, placing a last in the shoe and positioning the shoe, the last and heel in assembled relation in a fixture, the last having a hole in alinement with a substantial part of the heel, placing the socket in said'heel with the cutting edge toward the heel, andy then engaging the flange of the socket with.a power applying device for forcing the cutting edge of the socket through the sole and into the heel, leaving within the socket a portion of the heel material keyed by uncut material, through the split in the socket, to the heel material outside of the socket.

4. A shoe including a sole and heel attached to the heel-seat portion of the sole by a flanged socket curvilinearly formed and having a slot longitudinally of its length, the body of the socket extending through the sole into the heel, relative movement between the socket and heel being prevented by a portion of the heel-material forming a key through the slot in the socket.

5. A shoe including a sole and heel attached to the heel-seat portion of the sole by a flanged socket curvilinearly formed and having a slot longitudinally of 4its length, the 'material along at least one side of the slot being corrugated, the body of the socket extending through the sole into the heel, relative movement between the socket and heel being prevented by a portion of the heel-material forming a key through the slot in the socket and embracing the `czorruga.- tions.

6. A shoe including s sole and heel vattached to the heel-seat portion o! the sole by a. socket curviiinearly formed from sheet steel and having a slot longitudinally of its length, the socket being tempered and having a iiange at one end and a cutting edge oi' the other end, the body of the socket extending through the sole into the heel, relative movement between the socket and heel being prevented by s. portion of the heel-material forming o. -key through the slot in the socket.A

7. The method of attaching a heel to the soie of a. shoe which consists in forcing through the' heel seat of the shoe into a heel positioned thereon, a. hollow split metallic socket having a cutting edge at the advancing end of the socket and a. `flange at the forcing end oi the socket thereby causing 'said socket to penetrate the heel seat and the heel, leaving within the socket a. portion of the heel material keyed by uncut material,

through the split in the socket, to the heel m9.- 10

terial outside oi the socket.

`wnq''rmop R. HOWARD. 

